"The modern master of the gamebook format" (Rob Sanders)... "Can do dark very well" (Jonathan Oliver)... "Green gets mileage out of his monsters" (SFX Magazine)... "It takes a firm editorial hand and a keen understanding of the tone of each piece to make a collection this diverse work, and Green makes it look effortless" (Starburst Magazine)

Christmas Explained

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Friday, 31 August 2012

Fighting Fantasy was a series that found huge success in the 1980s and has now returned with new editions of the original titles as well as some brand new tales, of which Stormslayer is one.

Like the rest of the series, Stormslayer is both a novel and a role-playing game. The reader is given the freedom to make decisions on behalf of the protagonist. Through decision making and chance, as dictated by a roll of the dice, the reader drives the narrative onwards, battling a host of weird creatures along the way.

Stormslayer is based in a fantasy world where the hero must defeat elemental foes to find out who is using the fierce powers of nature for their own evil ends...

Stormslayer is a lot of fun and could be enjoyed by children and adults alike. There are mild horrific elements although these are no more severe than an average episode of Doctor Who and I suspect these books might appeal to the same audience.

I wouldn’t ordinarily review a book without having reached the end, something I’m determined to do. I’ve lost a fight with a Manticore and fallen from a great height into a lava pit already, so let’s hope it’s third time lucky for me and Erien Stormchild.

Sunday, 26 August 2012

Yesterday Family Green visited Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire* and watched a re-enactment of the Siege of Wardour from 1643 (when the English Civil War was at the height), brought to life by the Wardour Garrison.

There were pike demonstrations, a tented encampment, musicians and lots of gunpowder being discharged around the place.

It was great to immerse myself in the world of the Seventeenth Century, partly because I'd never seen a re-enactment quite like this one, and also because I'm hopefully working on a project at some point during the next twelve months set within this historical period.

And this is the book I'm reading at the moment...

Yep, you've guessed it. This is research for a new project too.

* As part of a weekend's worth of birthday celebrations. Happy Birthday, Mattie!

Last FF book of the current range for Jon Green and hopefully not his last, as I immensely enjoy his stories... I was, I must admit, mildly excited about this book when first I heard about it. Well, a new FF is always exciting, so there’s that, and with emphasis on horror yet again I couldn’t complain, but ghost stories have never had that much of an interest for me before (I have a hard time getting scared by ghosts, well, classic ones anyway), so I felt a wait and see approach was probably better for me. Of course as time passed, and after reading the few previous Jon Green entries, I couldn’t wait to grab it...In any case, this isn’t a scary ghost story, I must say, it’s instead a cool ghost story. As in you, the protagonist, are pretty cool. Would I have preferred a scary one? Perhaps, there are some tense moment here and there after all, but overall, how can you be scare if YOU are the ghost? But I thought it was a pretty cool premise, indeed...

I thought that this story was one of Jon Green’s most gripping, too, though overall I must say Green is pretty good at telling compelling stories, so this doesn’t come as such a surprise. Still, it doesn’t lessen the fact that this one was pulled off pretty well, with an interesting hero, background, and a tight mystery that takes its time to unfold. It’s also just fascinating to wander around as a ghost, to try to think like a ghost (via your interactions with the material world and its inhabitants) to deal with your new found powers and with the fact that death, for you, isn’t quite the same. It’s a totally original setting that’s never been done before in any FF, and it’s not done half-assedly; it works, and I had a blast experiencing it. Also a blast, of a lesser kind but still a blast, was all the nods given through the adventure toward not only Jon Green’s own body of work (quite a few towards Knights of Doom actually, and I just love that pre-generated character who just happens to be KoD’s hero!) but toward more or less obscure creatures mostly found in Livingstone’s early work: I’m thinking about stuff like the Moon Dog, the Coldclaw and the Hellhorn Champion. Seriously when’s the last time you met a Moon Dog? While it’s always fun to meet new creatures, it’s also pretty cool to meet a classic one, every once in a while...I thought this was a formidable experience to be had, one I greatly enjoy and a more than decent send-off to the series. But of course, now there’s Blood of the Zombies, so… we’ll see.

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

‘Rightly was it named Herald of Oblivion by the tallymen of the Ordo Xenos, for who knows what savage Ork hordes or Genestealer broods lie hidden within its labyrinthine depths, waiting for the derelict to come within range of a fecund Imperial star system or potential prize-world?’

Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Today was my mum's birthday, so Family Green took her out for lunch. When we arrived at the pub my son excitedly pointed out the barmaid and the tattoo on her left arm. It was of a Moshi Monster.

When the same barmaid served us our drinks at the table, my wife told her how impressed the children were with her tattoo to which she replied. "Yeah, they're really cool. My little brother gave me this."

At that point my mum pipes up and says, "My son writes for them you know!" At which point the poor girl proceeded to have a bit of a fan-gasm.

Saturday, 18 August 2012

The shared-world anthology World's Collider (that reads like a novel) continues to garner praise from all quarters. Here's an extract from the latest 5 star review:

I came to this from a recommendation of a friend of mine and I was a little cautious about buying it as I don't often find myself reading anthologies. I only finished it today and am glad I did purchase it...'World's Collider' brings an impressive array of authors together and the result is a series of stories which constantly surprise you in the range from Gothic horror to urban survivalist episodes to even fashion labels. It would be unfair of me to single out or rank the better stories as I think all work well together to immerse a reader into a single horrifying reality.This novel builds up like a mosaic or a palimpsest and its sheer size and breadth really impressed me. If you are at all interested in horror or apocalyptic literature, then do yourself a favour and buy this. If nothing else it will introduce you to several authors to watch out for in the future!

This is one of those books I have been very eager to read for a while now, and now that it is done, I can finally comment on it. Let’s say the hype factor was high, what with reading positive reviews left and right (most of them right here on this forum) and seeing the book win number 1 spot in the best Fighting Fantasy Gamebook of all time poll published in the very good Fighting Fantazine. Could the final product survive this kind of hype though?

I’m a horror fan. Early on in my teens, or perhaps even my tweens, I started finding horror stories good instead of just frightening, and it never did quite let go, even though I daresay my palette has seen significant expansion since then. So the topic of the book was a right winner by me from the get go. A good sign. Then seeing that wonderful cover by Maestro McKenna was another good point in its favour. Inside illos, also by McKenna, kept bringing the goods and I savoured every one of them. Some of the illos are amongst his best work, of which there is plenty, granted.

Storywise brings even more goodness but also some slight flaws, really just about the only flaws in this book, a surprise for sure, but when I said slight I meant it. Nothing that should ruin the experience for anyone, I believe.

First the good. Epic. If there’s one word to describe this story, it would be this. Well, it’s not as epic as, say, the Sorcery! series, but then again, those were four big books continuing one storyline, but when we’re talking solo gamebooks, there’s only a few out there that would qualify as epic. I would say overall Jon Green tends to write epic stories but maybe epic is too easy an epithet? (now that I think about it I find there’s quite a few stories actually that I would consider epic, so maybe I’m easily impressed) I do not wish to diminish the word though, so, perhaps in this case, massive would be a better word - what with over 500 sections! - but I still would say Green writes epics even though the fate of the world isn’t always at stake. After all, a character’s personal journey can also be considered epic, even if it doesn’t involve destroying the one true ring every time. The protagonist in HotW is thrust into an epic story unwillingly, but it remains epic just the same.

But let’s move on now that I’ve managed to write epic 200 times. I find brilliant the way this melting pot of ideas is thrown together without making a mess of the kitchen. The choices offered are multiple, the feeling of freedom as you roam around undeniable, as you never feel railroaded toward a particular point. It all flows fluidly, taken forward by a robust system that offers touches that adds realistic flavours to the overall experience, mainly the change system and the powers or curses it can bestow.

I was just saying how fluid it all is, well… almost. There’s gotta be something to improve, right? Obviously Mr Green is busting at the seams with imagination (he really lets loose here) and had in mind lots of horror set pieces he wanted to throw into the mix and have some fun with. It feels as if he wanted to create the ultimate FF and crammed the book with as much stuff as he could fit in, afraid perhaps (with reason) that it would be his last chance to do so. Most are thematically linked to werebeast in general and are just right for this book and your character’s journey, yet lots of them feels disconnected from the whole all the same, seemingly having been forced into the main storyline instead of flowing naturally from it. These occurrences are little bumps in the road, no more, and are small nuisances at best, but without ruining the overall excellence of the book. You feel them here and there in the writing, the lack of a smooth transition between two sections, most likely, but you soon let go of them as you are conquered by the great descriptions and loads of fun and creepy encounters.

Plus did I mentioned I thought it was epic? The story builds up and up until the last moment, while being satisfying every steps of the way. Hard to ask for more under such circumstances. Plus, you can relive this story with many different adventures, what with such a multitude of paths being available and a certain fairness that allows you to win without having the usual required shopping list. Indeed, while codewords are a-many here again, items are fewer, and usually not required to win.

In fact, when I reach the end and won (cheating with fights, though) I was nearly sad I didn’t get to reach a dead-end due to my having missed a few important items (quite a few actually). I so wanted to wander the left-over paths and see what I had missed. But it will be for another time, and I will have a great time doing it.

* Five years? Has half a decade really already passed since I wrote what (at the time) I feared might be my last FF gamebook ever?

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Herald of Oblivion has been out for over a month now and the reviews have started to come in. So here's what people have been saying about my first Warhammer 40,000 Path to Victory gamebook:

I'll say this about Herald of Oblivion, it's the first of the books I've played more than once and the only one I'm even considering playing again. It seems like a pleasing puzzle – what order to find the rest of the space marines, where to look for useful equipment.
The writing is also the best of the three books in the series. The locations and action are evocative... In retrospect is feels a bit like throwing various 40k enemies into one setting, but that's what space hulks are all about so I wasn't expecting anything else...

I really like the premise - playing as a Terminator hunting aliens on a space hulk, so I was very interested in trying out this book. I did read/ play these books when I was a kid, and I enjoyed it back then, so this is kind of nostalgia for me... the passages are exciting and you get sucked into there and want to know what happens next...

The writing is detailed and crisp without being verbose, and considering the amount of text and bouncing around, it's a real skill...

If you don't want to know anything about my story Liberator, look away now.

If you don't mind a few SPOILERS, then read on...

Liberator by Jonathan Green

Heresy is insidious, sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle. And nobody is immune to its siren song, least of all the Adeptus Astartes. Though brother does not turn on brother commonly, it is not unheard of for a loyal servant of the Emperor to abandon his oaths of fealty to Chapter and Imperium and to embrace the Ruinous Powers, indeed many Traitor Marines are born this way. This is the story of one of these traitors, one whose legacy endures even today, one who will forever be a black stain on his proud Chapter’s history. This is the tale of Constantinus the Liberator.

Jon Green has chosen to write up a Codex story here, and he made a good choice because Constantinus is a great story about how a loyal marine can fall to Chaos and become a monster, and Jon elaborates on that even further in the story, explaining the motives of Constantinus and his actions in conquering Nova Terra and becoming a Chaos Space Marine. Heresy starts with small steps and very few actually embrace evil for the sake of evil, Jon clearly understands that as the story tells of both Constantinus’s rise and fall. One enjoyable aspect was that the story started backwards, with Constantinus as a tyrant and then moved backwards, showing how he made each step towards heresy before moving to the end and showing the results of his actions.

The only actual character in the story is Constantinus himself, the others are all secondary or background. Jon does a good job of making Constantinus a clear tyrant and a brutal monster, and yet he is shown to have been a noble marine who inspired fierce loyalty in his men. His motives are understandable and can even be empathized with if you look at it from a soldier’s point of view, its these details that make Constantinus an interesting character rather than just a marine who one day decided he wanted more in life than just praising the Emperor, and these details really add to the story and make it a much better read.

Liberator does not utilize action scenes in any real number or detail, only one short battle against some xenos and the final few pages detailing the Imperial retaliation are the only actual battles that appear. Two scenes that could have been very attention-grabbing and powerful battles unfortunately cut away before violence has a chance to occur. Fortunately the story is good enough that it can hold its own without any real battle scenes in it.

The pacing of the story is surprising in that for a story that moves backwards it is still an easy read, Liberator should not confuse anyone who is quick enough to see that the story is telling itself in a reverse order. I do think that perhaps it could have been a few pages longer, mainly to add in those two battle scenes I mentioned earlier, but the story is fine as it stands.

Now my favourite quote has got to be this one,

“For I shall not rest until this world has been liberated from the traitor’s tyrannical rule. This I swear!”

Now the ending is of course not surprising as I knew how this would end because I have read the Chaos Space Marines 4th Edition Codex, but had I not read that I would have been wondering if Constantinus could win and it would have had me a bit more desirous to see the ending. But Jon does good work and he has chosen a cool format to end the story in, but to find out what you’ll have to read the story.

For a good story about an event that I was interested in since I read the CSM Codex I give Liberator a grand score of 7.2/10. This is my first real sample of Jon Green and I like what I have read, I look forward to reading more of him in the future and I hope he has some full-length novels in his plans.

Thursday, 9 August 2012

Does exactly what it says on the tin (man), so to speak. And very proud of it I am too!

This image is my new avatar, as designed and drawn by ace Abaddon Books designer and Time's Arrow cover artist Simon Parr. (Just check out the detailing - the Pax Britannia medal, the dip pen in the hat band, the text on the scroll...)

You can check out much of his other work - both illustration and design - at his website here.

I have also commissioned Simon (or Pye as he's known to his friends) to work on another project for me, but more on that another time...

My own contribution, Temple of the Spider God (number 7) is proving to be one of my most popular gamebooks ever. Just check out these reviews:

This is what every "Choose Your Own Adventure" book SHOULD be! Great, stable, well thought-out App.
What a great game! I couldn't put it down. I played it in about 2-3 hours, and it was fun all the way through.
It has a great story and awesome gameplay.
It was definitely worth the money, and I would suggest it to anyone.Reminds me of the choose your own adventure books of my youth, meshed with DnD. Best thing in the app store by far. I loved the addition of skills, and am currently on my 5th play through to find the different paths. Please keep up the good work.

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Here's what people have been saying about my books...

"Green deserves 10/10." - The Independent

"As welcome as a warm glass of mulled wine on a wintry night, Green's guide to Christmas enhances the pleasures of the festive season, offering a witty cornucopia of Christmas facts and folklore." - The Good Book Guide

"As usual, author Jonathan Green gets mileage out of his monsters, with big action set-pieces that read like Things We'd Like to See in a rip-roaring summer movie if the creature effects were good enough." - SFX Magazine

WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GREEN

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The Chrismologist

Jonathan Green

About Me

I am a freelance writer and editor, well known for my contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks. I have also written for such diverse properties as Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Who, Star Wars and Games Workshop's worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
I am the creator of the alternative steampunk universe of Pax Britannia, and have written eight novels featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver.
As well as my fiction work, I have also written a number of non-fiction books including 'Match Wits with the Kids', 'What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas' and 'YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks'.